A vehicle article carrier incorporating a single sided releasable cross bar. The cross bar has an end support secured at each outermost end thereof. Each end support lockably engages with an associated side rail. Each end support includes an actuating member which cammingly urges a locking member into and out of engagement with interior wall surfaces of its associated side rail when the actuating member is moved between locked and unlocked positions. A biasing member in the form of a leaf spring is used to bias the locking member into a normally locked position. A pair of small diameter rods coupled to each actuating member of the cross bar allow the locking members of the two end supports to be simultaneously locked and unlocked by movement of either one of the actuating members.
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1. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:
a pair of support rails each having a channel and being adapted to be secured to said outer body surface;
at least one cross bar for supporting articles thereon, said cross bar having a pair of end supports at its outermost ends, said end supports adapted to engage with said support rails such that said cross bar is supported above said outer body surface;
each said end support having:
a housing;
an actuating member pivotally secured to said housing and moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said actuating member having a camming surface thereon;
a locking member adapted to be disposed within said channel in an associated one of said channels, said locking member having a generally planar head portion having a surface adapted to engage a surface of its associated said support rail; and
a generally linear biasing member for biasing said locking member into a normally locked position relative to its associated said channel;
wherein movement of one of said actuating members by a user from said locked position to said unlocked position causes its said camming surface to urge its associated said locking member into said unlocked position against a biasing force provided by its associated said biasing member; and
at least one coupling element extending along said cross bar and coupled to each of said actuating members for simultaneously urging said actuating member which is not being moved by said user into said unlocked position when said user moves the other one of said actuating members into said unlocked position, to thereby simultaneously unlock both of said end supports from their respective said support rails; and
wherein said generally planar head portion comprises a component having a plurality of angled serrated, teeth on one surface for engaging a portion of an associated one of said support rails.
13. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:
a pair of support rails each having a channel and being adapted to be secured to said outer body surface;
at least one crossbar for supporting articles thereon, said crossbar having a first end support at a first outermost end and a second end support at a second outermost end; said first end support and said second end support each adapted to engage said support rails such that said crossbar is supported above said outer body surface between said support rails;
at least one coupling element extending along said crossbar between said first end support and said second end support;
a first housing associated with said first end support and a second housing associated with said second end support, said first and second housings each having at least one passageway, said coupling element extending through said passageways;
a first actuating member pivotally secured to said first housing and a second actuating member pivotally secured to said second housing, said actuating members being pivotally secured to said coupling element, said actuating members each movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said actuating members each having a camming surface thereon;
a first locking member associated with said first end support and a second locking member associated with said second end support, said first and second locking members each having a tap plate with a generally planar head portion, adapted to be disposed within an associated one of said channels, and adapted to engage surfaces of said channels, said first and second locking members movable between an extended opened position and a retracted closed position; and
a first generally planar biasing member for biasing said first locking member into said closed position and a second, generally planar biasing member for biasing said second locking member into said closed position;
wherein movement of said first actuating member from said locked position to said unlocked position by a user causes said first camming surface to urge said first locking member into said opened position against a biasing force provided by said first biasing member, said movement of said first actuating member is transferred to said second actuating member by said coupling element to cause said second actuating member to move from said locked position to said unlocked position, said movement of said second actuating member to said unlocked position causing said second camming surface to urge said second locking member into said opened position against a biasing force provided by said second biasing member to thereby simultaneously unlock both said first end support and said second end support from their respective said support rails;
wherein said tap plate includes a neck portion coupled to said head portion; and
wherein said head portion further comprises a plurality of serrated teeth.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/359,515, filed on Feb. 25, 2002. The disclosure(s) of the above application(s) is (are) incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to vehicle article carrier systems, and more particularly to a vehicle article carrier system having a single sided releasable cross bar for allowing opposite ends of the cross bar to be simultaneously locked and unlocked from either one of a pair of end supports disposed at the opposite ends of the cross bar.
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to store articles above an outer body surface of a car, mini van, station wagon, sport utility vehicle, and even some trucks. Such vehicle article carriers typically include a pair of side rails which are fixedly secured to the outer body surface along a major longitudinal length of the outer body surface. At least one cross bar is secured between the side rails, and more typically a pair of cross bars are secured between the side rails. If a pair of cross bars is incorporated, typically one can be adjustably positioned at a desired position along the side rails to better support articles of various sizes thereon.
Recently, manufacturers have been focusing more and more on cross bars which incorporate a single sided release feature. By this it is meant that the opposite ends of the cross bar which are secured to the side rails can be locked and unlocked from one end of the cross bar. This is typically accomplished through some reasonably complex mechanism formed in each end support disposed at each end of the cross bar. Often a cable or spring extends through the interior of the cross bar, which is typically tubular in construction, such that movement of one actuating member at one end of the cross bar simultaneously actuates the locking mechanism at the opposite end of the cross bar, to thus allow both ends of the cross bar to be simultaneously locked and unlocked. Traditionally, such single sided release mechanisms as described above have been reasonably complex in construction. Furthermore, such single sided releasable cross bars have required somewhat complex assembly procedures. The number of independent components typically employed with previously developed single sided releasable systems often makes them somewhat susceptible to the elements such as rain, sleet, dust and dirt, which have the potential to interfere with proper working movement of their interior components.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a single sided releasable cross bar having a uniquely simple construction which requires fewer independent component parts than previously developed systems.
More particularly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a single sided releasable cross bar having a pair of end supports in which each end support incorporates a camming structure, a robust locking member and a robust biasing element which can be moved between locked and unlocked positions through a camming action when an actuating member of one or the other of the end supports is moved between locked and unlocked positions. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle article carrier which incorporates a means for operatively coupling the mechanisms in each of the end supports of the cross bar, and wherein the means for coupling the mechanisms is very robust and provides for reliable, simultaneous locking and unlocking of both of the end supports of a cross bar from a corresponding pair of side rails.
The above and other objects are met by a vehicle article carrier system in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention. The vehicle article carrier system includes a pair of support rails, which in one preferred form are elevated side rails fixedly disposed on an outer body surface of a vehicle such as a roof portion. At least one cross bar, and preferably a pair of cross bars, are disposed on the support rails, with at least one of the cross bars being capable of adjustable positioning along the support rails. The adjustable cross bar includes an end support at each outer end which can be lockably coupled to its associated support rail. Each end support includes an actuating member having a camming surface, a locking member and a biasing element for biasing the locking member into locking engagement with a surface of its associated support rail.
The actuating members of each end support are further coupled via at least one elongated coupling element, which in one preferred form comprises a relatively small diameter metal rod which extends through an interior area of the cross bar. More preferably, a pair of such metal rods are incorporated.
In a preferred embodiment, the locking member forms a tap plate having a plurality of serrated edges, and each support rail includes a channel within which the tap plate is disposed and where the serrated edges are able to engage interior surface portions of the channel when the tap plate is in a locked position.
The biasing mechanism incorporated is an elongated spring, and more preferably a thin elongated leaf spring. The leaf spring constantly urges the tap plate into engagement with the interior surface of walls of the channel of its associated support rail. When its associated actuating member is moved from a locked position to an unlocked position, the camming surface urges the locking member out of contact with the interior surface portions of the support rail against the force of the biasing spring. The actuating member at the opposite end of the cross rail is simultaneously moved because of the elongated coupling element extending between the two actuating members. This results in a simultaneous locking or unlocking of the end supports at the opposite ends of the cross bar. Thus, both end supports are simultaneously locked and unlocked when the user actuates either one of the actuating members.
The construction of each end support is robust and yet requires only a very limited number of independent component parts. It is therefore more resistant to contaminants and the elements that could adversely affect operation of previously developed forms of locking systems, which have a larger number of independent component parts.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
Referring to
The system 10 further includes at least one cross bar 24, and more preferably a pair of cross bars 24. In the illustration of
Each cross bar 24 includes a generally tubular cross bar member 26 having outermost ends 28. An end support 30 is disposed at each outermost end 28. The end supports 30 engage with the channels 22 in each side rail 12 to allow each cross bar 24 to be moved slidably along the central portions 18 of the side rails 12. This allows each cross bar 24 to be positioned to better support articles of various sizes thereon. Typically one or more tie down straps, such as rubber straps or bungee cords, are used in connection with the cross bars 24 to secure articles to the system 10.
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The construction of each end support 30 is further accomplished with a very limited number of independent component parts. This helps to reduce the possibility of the elements, as well as dust and dirt, from interfering with proper operation of its internal components.
Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification and following claims.
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